LLOYD COLE – BRIGHTON DOME 31.10.23
Lloyd Cole and the Commotions burst onto the UK music scene in May 1984 with the single ‘Perfect Skin’, paving the way for three Gold-certified Top 20 albums and a number of chart singles. Their jangly indie guitar sound was absolutely of its time, and the witty lyrics, peppered with knowing literary and cultural references, made them especially popular with students and anyone aspiring towards an urbane and intellectual outlook. Along with bands like R.E.M. and The Smiths, they certainly feature prominently in the soundtrack of my memories of the 1980s, and many of their songs are cherished all-time favourites.
The band originally formed at The University of Glasgow in 1982, and landed a deal with Polydor Records. When they split in 1989, Lloyd moved to New York, and later to Massachusetts, to pursue a solo career. He has subsequently released twelve studio albums, the most recent of which is ‘On Pain’, which came out on 23rd June 2023 and features collaborations with two former Commotions bandmates: Blair Cowan on keyboards and Neil Clark on guitar. The tour to promote it has run throughout October, with Brighton Dome being the 18th and final UK date before a foray into mainland Europe.
It’s a dark and stormy night, and it’s also Halloween, so the streets of Brighton are awash with bedraggled young people in fancy dress. Tonight is a seated gig, and Lloyd is scheduled to play two sets with no support, joined by Blair and Neil, and drummer and percussionist Signy Jakobsdottir. The exigencies of touring in the current financial climate often result in solo acoustic shows, so I’m very pleased indeed to be seeing Lloyd with a full band, especially one featuring two former Commotions.
The lights go down at 8pm, as advertised, and Lloyd Cole takes the stage, clad all in white, and jangles lovely arpeggios on an acoustic guitar to accompany the reflective ‘Don’t Look Back’, from his debut solo album. As the closing notes ring out he shouts “Boo!” down the mic, qualifying it with “Happy Halloween!” After a brief moment to recover, the audience responds with rapturous applause, which continues as Neil Clark takes the stage for the Commotions’ classic, ‘Mr Malcontent’. By the end of the number, the rest of the band are onstage too, and we’re into the beautiful ‘Trigger Happy’, with its haunting refrain of “and you know that gun is loaded, sure you do”. Behind the kit, Signy is busily multi-tasking, keeping the beat with scudding kick drum, rattling a shaker, and picking out a counter melody on a glockenspiel. It’s all rather lovely.
“I wrote that song when my eldest boy was a toddler,” Lloyd informs us. “He is now thirty.” This draws a wry chuckle from the audience, most of whom are probably also wondering where the last few decades went. We’re bang up to date with ‘On Pain’, the title track of the current album. It’s a well-crafted song based around the lyrical conceit that you may not be able to trust the singer with your money, but you can trust him with your pain. The bridge section features an impressively tripping vocal, whose melody is vaguely reminiscent of David Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’.
Blair Cowan has an extensive array of keyboards set up, and the singer joins him to double up on the vibey and atmospheric ‘Headlights’, which segues into the waltzy lilt of ‘No More Love Songs’. Lloyd, back on guitar, is swaying in time to the music. There’s a bit of banter with the audience, with Lloyd’s bone-dry wit raising plenty of laughter. He is finding it a bit chilly on stage, but is quick to clarify that this is “physically, not metaphorically. Metaphorically, it’s lovely and warm in here.”
I like the lyric of ‘My Other Life’, an extended metaphor describing the evidence amassed against the vocalist, presumably for some relationship misdemeanour. Blair lays piano over the top, and there’s a particularly effective guitar break from Neil. ‘2cv’ is like meeting up with an old friend, and Lloyd raises another belly laugh after ‘Undressed’ with the disclaimer that any references to him being naked are “references to me being naked in 1989.”
There are plenty of big clanging chords and thumping drums on ‘Tried To Rock’, and Lloyd’s between-song repartee continues to amuse. “You will have gathered by now that we’re your opening act. We’re going to play a couple more songs and there’ll be an intermission… after which we will headline.” The songs in questions are both from the Commotions’ first album, and each elicits a suitably euphoric reception. ‘Rattlesnakes’ is one of my all-time favourite songs. Lloyd hums the string hook and delivers the lyrical refrain that sent a generation of young people scuttling off to the library: “She looks like Eve Marie Saint in ‘On The Waterfront’. She reads Simone De Beauvoir in her American circumstance.” The sparkling guitar and distinctive keyboard motif of concluding number ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken’ draw a huge cheer. It’s another absolute classic with oh-so-clever lyrics: “Lean over on the bookcase if you really want to get straight. Read Norman Mailer, or get a new tailor.”
The intermission is just about right to get a drink and stretch the legs, then we’re back in our seats for another romp through Lloyd Cole’s extensive catalogue. He starts the second set on electric bass, and Neil is getting more animated with some heavier guitar over Signy’s pounding beat. The relatively recent ‘Night Sweats’, from 2019, starts with skittering electronics and a beautifully sustained wail of lead guitar, before developing a rather infectious groove. I’m very taken with Lloyd’s bass playing, which bounces along with admirable fluidity considering he’s already occupied with delivering the lyric-dense lead vocal.
It’s a long time since I’ve heard the jangly gorgeousness of ‘Minor Character’. Lloyd encourages the audience to join in with a vocal part for ‘Violins’, and gives a helpful demonstration, though the piece is maybe not yet familiar enough for the mass participation he had in mind. The album it’s from, ‘Guesswork’, is on sale at the merch table, and Lloyd promises that he will be there after the show to sign “anything I deem appropriate”, which prompts a few whoops from the crowd.
We’re treated to an interesting selection of lesser-known but excellent numbers from various decades. For ‘Mister Wrong’, Lloyd switches to a Telecaster electric guitar, and after ‘Pay For It’ there’s a funny anecdote about a disagreement with the record company about the overuse of “babe” and “baby” in the second solo album’s lyrics. Predictably, ‘Perfect Skin’ draws an enthusiastic response, and I’m seriously impressed with ‘Wolves’, a magnificently vibey piece from the current album that floats on washes of synth and tinkling chimes of glockenspiel. If you were looking for another crowd favourite to bookend the new song with, ‘Perfect Blue’ would be the perfect choice, a slice of blissful sonic dreaminess if ever there was one. The lighting, tastefully subtle and understated through the show, responds with an appropriate wash of colour.
I rather like the current single ‘The Idiot’, which imagines David Bowie and Iggy Pop’s time in Berlin in the late 1970s. There’s a cute accompanying video out, with two young actor lookalikes bringing the lyric to life. We’ve certainly had some value from tonight’s performance, and there’s a strong conclusion with two further crowd pleasers from the Commotions’ era: ‘Brand New Friend’ and the soaringly expansive ‘Forest Fire’. Plenty of the crowd are on their feet showing their appreciation, and the applause at the end is tumultuous.
Needless to say there are encores, although interestingly they are what Lloyd describes as “mellow encores”, joking that they’ve already given us all the best stuff. We conclude with the fabulous but slightly downbeat ‘The Young Idealists’ and the haunting ‘Mainstream’, from the final Commotions’ album. It has been a truly outstanding evening’s entertainment. I’m slightly surprised that we didn’t get more songs from the current album, but tonight’s extensive setlists have showcased the high quality material that’s to be found throughout Lloyd Cole’s extensive catalogue, across a career spanning four decades.
Lloyd Cole Band:
Lloyd Cole – vocals, guitar, bass
Neil Clark – guitar, vocals
Blair Cowan – keyboards
Signy Jakobsdottir – drums, percussion, vocals
Lloydd Cole setlist:
First set:
‘Don’t Look Back’ (from ‘Lloyd Cole’ 1990)
‘Mr Malcontent’ (from ‘Mainstream’ 1987, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Trigger Happy’ (from ‘Love Story’ 1995)
‘On Pain’ (from ‘On Pain’ 2023)
‘Why I Love Country Music’ (from ‘Easy Pieces’ 1985, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Headlights’ (from ‘Plastic Wood’ 2001)
‘No More Love Songs’ (from ‘The Negatives’ 2000, as Lloyd Cole and the Negatives)
‘My Other Life’ (from ‘Music In A Foreign Language’ 2003)
‘2cv’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ 1984, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Undressed’ (from ‘Lloyd Cole’ 1990)
‘Tried To Rock’ (from ‘The Negatives’ 2000, as Lloyd Cole and the Negatives)
‘Rattlesnakes’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ 1984, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ 1984, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
Second set:
‘No Blue Skies’ (from ‘Lloyd Cole’ 1990)
‘Night Sweats’ (from ‘Guesswork’ 2019)
‘Minor Character’ (from ‘Easy Pieces’ 1985)
‘Violins’ (from ‘Guesswork’ 2019)
‘Blue Like Mars’ (from ‘Standards’ 2013)
‘Mister Wrong’ (from ‘Bad Vibes’ 1993)
‘Pay For It’ (from ‘Don’t Get Weird On Me Baby’ 1991)
‘Perfect Skin’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ 1984, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Wolves’ (from ‘On Pain’ 2023)
‘Perfect Blue’ (from ‘Easy Pieces’ 1985, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Myrtle And Rose’ (from ‘Standards’ 2013)
‘The Idiot’ (from ‘On Pain’ 2023)
‘Brand New Friend’ (from ‘Easy Pieces’ 1985, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
‘Forest Fire’ (from ‘Rattlesnakes’ 1984, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
(encore)
‘The Young Idealists’ (from ‘Antidepressant’ 2006)
‘Mainstream’ (from ‘Mainstream’ 1987, as Lloyd Cole and the Commotions)
